Pipe vise adaptor



N v. 4. 1969 H. G. DODGE 3,476,347

PIPE VISE ADAPTOR Filed Sept. 28, 1967 INVENTOR. HARRY a. noose ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,476,347 PIPE VISE ADAPTOR Harry G. Dodge, Painesville, Ohio, assignor to Crawford Fitting Company, Solon, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Sept. 28, 1967, Ser. No. 671,346 Int. Cl. A47f 5/00; A47h 1/10 U.S. Cl. 248-316 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an adaptor for supporting a tube bending tool in a pipe vise.

Tube bending tools of various designs have been available for many years. One such design is described in U.S. Patent No. 3,236,082. Tools of this type are designed to place a bend in a length of tubing. However, it is necessary to secure the tool before it may be used. Typically, tools of this type have been provided with a clamping block adapted to be received in the jaws of a bench vise. However, since the bends in the tubes are often provided at the job site, the absence of such a vise poses problems in using the conventional style of tube bender. However, a pipe vise is ordinarily present at such a job site and it is an object of this invention to provide a vise adaptor whereby the tube bending tool may be secured to a pipe vise.

Another problem experienced with tube bending tools has been the lack of some means whereby the tool may be adjusted about its vertical axis. It is an object of this invention to provide a support for a tube bending tool which permits the tool to be adjustably positioned relative to the vise.

More specifically, the vise adaptor of this invention comprises two concentric split rings having an integral tubular extension extending radially outwardly from the outer ring opposite the split portion of the ring. The inner ring is made of hardenable metal, such as steel, and has an annular flange which is adapted to be detachably received in a corresponding annular groove in the outer ring formed of light weight metal, such as aluminum. A threaded actuator bolt extends chordlike through the split in the outer ring and is adapted to reduce the diameter of the rings by closing the split. The ring is adapted to be used in association with a tube bending tool which has a clamping block with arcuate sides depending from the underside of the bending tool. By placing the block in the ring and tightening the actuator bolt to reduce the diameter of the ring, the tube bender is thereby secured.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical tube bending tool received in the vise adaptor of the instant invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the vise adaptor taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1 there is illustrated a tube bending tool indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. The illustrated tool is of the type described in US. Patent No. 3,236,082, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Broadly, the tool comprises a base plate 12 from which depends a clamping block 14. The clamping block has opposed flat faces 16 and opposed arcuate surfaces 18. The flats 16 are adapted to be received between the jaws of a conventional bench vise. The tube bender 10 further includes a handle 11 by which the tool is operated in the manner described in the above mentioned Patent No. 3,236,082.

The vise adaptor in which the clamping block 14 is received is best viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3. The adaptor, designated 20, comprises a first ring 21 preferably formed from aluminum. The ring is a split ring having opposing ends 22, 23. Ring 21 is of substantial depth to accommodate the clamp block 14 with the radius of the inner periphery of ring 21 being greater than the radius on which the arcuate surfaces 18 of the clamping block are formed.

The end 23 of the ring 21 includes a threaded aperture 24 which is coaxial with a bore 25 formed in the opposing end 22. The bore 25 opens outwardly of the ring 21 with a couterbore 26 formed at the outer end of the bore 25. A shoulder 26a is formed at the juncture of the bore and counterbore. A bolt 27 having a reduced diameter threaded end 28 extends through the bore 25 into threaded engagement with the bore 24. The bolt 27 is provided with a recess 29 adapted to receive an Allen head wrench or other similar tool.

The ring 21 includes a circumferential groove 30 which extends from a point intermediate the width of the ring 21 to the inner periphery of the ring. The outer edge of the groove is defined by a shoulder 31. A steel shoe 32 in the form of a second split ring, substantially L- shaped in cross section, is inverted and placed concentrically within the ring 21. The shoe or ring 32 is received within the ring 21 with the leg 33 of the shoe positioned in the groove 30 and in abutment with the shoulder 31. Flat headed screws 34 secure the shoe to the ring 21.

As is apparent from FIG. 2 the split in the ring 32 is coextensive with the split in the ring 21 with the ring 32 providing a lining for the ring 21. The radius on which the ring 32 is formed is substantially equal to the radius on which the arcuate surfaces 18 of the clamping block 14 are formed.

Secured to the outer periphery of the ring 21 is a tubular extension in the form of a pipe 40. The pipe 40 is secured by set screws 42 or the like within sleeve 44 which is secured to and radiates outwardly from the periphery of ring 21, and which is positioned at a point opposite to the split in the rings 21, 32. As is apparent from FIG. 1, the pipe 40 is adapted to be received in the jaws of a pipe vise.

In operation, the vise adaptor 20 would be used in the following manner. The pipe 40 would be inserted in the jaws of a pipe vise and the bolt 27 unthreaded so that the ends of the split rings are separated thereby to facilitate receiving the clamping block of the tube bending tool 10. The block 14 is positioned in the rings with the arcuate surfaces 18 in engagement with the arcuate surface of the steel ring 32. The operator may then position the tool 10 simply by rotating the tool to the position desired. Once the position has been ascertained, the operator need only thread the bolt 27 until the shank of the bolt engages shoulder 26a. Thereafter, the bolt is threaded until the split rings have securely gripped the arcuate surfaces 18 of the tool thereby securing the tool in position. In the event that the tube bender is found to have been positioned in an adverse position, the operator need only loosen the bolt so that where the tool can be rotated relative to the rings 21, 32 and retighten the bolt and the tube bending operation may then proceed.

The provision of a liner or shoe 32 of hardenable material, such as steel, permits replacement of the Shoe in the event of undue wear. Moreover, by using a steel liner, the remaining portions of the vise adaptor may be fabricated from light Weight materials such as aluminum. It should also be noted that bolt 27 forms a chord on ring 21 and lies Within the area generally defined by the intersection of tangents to ring 21 which are generally parallel and transverse to the axis of the bolt 27. With this arrangement the bolt 27, irrespective of the position of the tube bending tool 10, does not interfere with the rotation of the handle 20 during the tube bending operation.

I claim:

1. A tool supporting device comprising:

a first split ring, the split in said first ring defining opposed first and second ends;

a second split ring concentric with said first ring and in engagement with the inner periphery of said first ring, the split in said second ring being coextensive with the split in said first ring;

said second ring being L-shaped in cross section with one leg of said second ring being in engagement with a radial surface on said first ring and the other leg of said second ring being in engagement with the inner periphery of said first ring;

means securing said second ring to said first ring;

adjustable means interconnecting said ends for adjustably varying the diameter of said rings; and

a sleeve member, secured to and extending generally radially outwardly from said first ring.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the longitudinal axis of said sleeve member is in the plane of said rings, said member being secured to said first ring at a point on the periphery of said ring opposite to the split in said first ring.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said adjustable means comprises bore means formed in said first end of said first ring;

one end of said bore means opening through the periphery of said ring with the other end of said bore means opening toward said second end; thread means formed on said second end; and threaded fastener means extending through said bore means into threaded engagement with said thread means.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the means securing said second ring to said first ring permit the replacement of said second ring.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said sleeve member is tubular, said tubular sleeve member further including means for securing a tubular extension within said tubular sleeve member.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said adjustable means comprises a threaded aperture in said first end of said first ring;

a bore in said second end of said first ring coaxial with said aperture;

a counterbore coaxial with said bore opening outwardly of the periphery of said first ring; a bolt having a shank of a first diameter corresponding to the diameter of said counterbore and a threaded end of a reduced diameter extending through said bore and received in the threaded aperture; and

drive means on the other end of said bolt for threading said bolt into said aperture.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the longitudinal axis of said sleeve member is in the plane of said rings;

said sleeve member being secured to said first ring at a point on the periphery of said ring opposite to the split in said first ring;

the longitudinal axis of said bolt being substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of said sleeve member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,332,200 3/1920 Borgarello 248405 1,871,240 8/1932 Scheller 248-230 x 2,212,953 8/1940 Poppet 24s 230 X 3,056,571 10/1962 Schofield et al. 248-316 X FOREIGN PATENTS 504,087 7/1929 Germany.

ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner J. FRANKLIN FOSS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 24814, 230 

